Gongdeok, Seoul Korean restaurant with Lotte Mart corkage: Usu

Today I went on a little date with my mom to Usu (우수) near Gongdeok Station. I love taking her out for good food, and this time I wanted something a bit special, so here's the story of our visit to this Gongdeok favorite.

Where is Usu in Gongdeok, and is there parking?

Usu is located on basement level 2 of the Lotte Castle building, close to Exit 2 of Gongdeok Station.

Parking is free for 3 hours, so it's easy to visit by car too.

Usu's private room and the hanwoo showing box

Once we gave our reservation name, a staff member led us to our table!

One of the things I liked most about Usu was being able to eat in a private room.

Before going in, there was the hanwoo (Korean beef) showcase box that's basically Usu's signature moment! The detailed presentation made the whole place feel refined and polished.

Since you can eat quietly in a private room, I could see this place being popular not just for family gatherings and anniversaries but also for people in Seoul looking for a room-style restaurant for in-law meetings.

What comes with the Dinner B set, 90g

Today mom and I chose the Dinner B set, 90g. The menu is quite substantial — let me walk you through the course dish by dish!

Beef and egg rice porridge

The appetizer to arrive first was jindeuk (a thick rice porridge).

It's porridge made with nurungji (scorched rice), scallions, and shiitake mushrooms — soft, but with enough texture from the ingredients to really wake up your appetite!

Seasonal ingredients and the 1++ hanwoo showing

And here's the main event at Usu in Gongdeok! When the showcase box opens, dry ice swirls out along with the seasonal ingredients and the 1++ hanwoo, 90g, that would be used for tonight's dinner — ta-da!

Just gorgeous...! The showcase box felt luxurious and sleek. And good food can't go without a drink!

Since corkage is free, we brought our own bottle! They even gave us rocks glasses :)

Four bite-sized starters

Honestly, from the moment this course arrived, I started thinking this place would work well for an in-law meeting. The four bite-sized dishes were each beautifully arranged, and the plating alone felt upscale.

It was fun just looking at each dish. Anyway, let me introduce them one by one.

• 1. Scallop and clam — that pastry texture... was really my thing. Crispy, and it paired well with the ingredients
• 2. Bulgogi sandwich — Korean beef bulgogi on brioche. Somehow familiar yet special

• 3. Gim bugak (fried seaweed chip) and sweet shrimp — I really love sweet shrimp, and this had no fishy taste at all, just sticky and delicious. I could've cried
• 4. Lobster taco — the gochujang mayo sauce was the kicker!!

Shiitake with shrimp, and young zucchini

Shrimp and mushroom stuffed inside a grade-A shiitake mushroom had a chewy texture almost like eating octopus, and the zucchini was filled with tofu, aged kimchi, and golden enoki mushrooms — dip it in the peanut tofu sauce with chamnamul (aster) oil.

Yukhoe (beef tartare) with gamtae seaweed

I love gamtae (roasted seaweed) too... and combined with yukhoe? I ended up stealing bites from my mom's plate too, ㅠㅠ.

Visually stunning too. Just roll it up and pop it in your mouth in one bite!

Tilefish in neungi mushroom broth

And this neungi mushroom broth!! My mom said it was the best dish of the meal.

Tilefish over rice with barley and chamnamul, topped with something like fried lettuce — crispy, not greasy at all, and paired beautifully with the neungi broth.

Tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patty)

Bite-sized tteokgalbi that made me want to order a bowl of rice right then... the hanwoo aroma came through clearly, and it paired well with the basil oil and white balsamic sauce.

Abalone with five-color gardenia noodles

The mustard-garlic sauce had a sharp kick that cleansed the palate nicely after everything we'd eaten so far. The abalone was chewy with no fishy taste at all.

Having a dish like this in the middle of the course kept the whole meal from feeling monotonous!!

The main hanwoo grill and the full table

Finally, the main hanwoo grill and full spread arrive! First, the seasonal fish hot-pot rice that comes with the spread is prepared, and staff portion it out for you nicely.

And the 1++ hanwoo that was sitting in the showcase box earlier gets divided into easy-to-eat portions for each of you.

Since there's a personal tabletop grill for each person, you can each grill it to your own preferred doneness.

Grilling it yourself made it even more fun, so this main course really stuck with me!

The seaweed soup was great too...! Everything was delicious (I mean it).

Corn ice cream and jasmine tea

The final dessert of the meal.

Dessert was corn ice cream, corn cream cheese, and a sponge cake with green tangerine cream sauce. Kind of looks like an art piece, right? That fluffy cake is still lingering in my mouth!

We finished the whole meal slowly sipping jasmine tea.

Questions to settle before visiting Usu

Q. Is corkage allowed? Yes, Usu in Gongdeok offers free corkage. I'd recommend buying a bottle at the Lotte Mart on B1 haha.

Q. Is parking available? You can use the building's parking lot, with 3 hours free.

Q. Who would you recommend Usu in Gongdeok to? Anyone who wants to eat in a private space, families gathering or dining with parents, and anyone looking for a restaurant for in-law meetings.

Jenny's spoon score: would she return to Usu?

Overall the food was clean and well-suited to older palates, so I thought it would work really well as a venue for an upcoming in-law meeting. Chatting comfortably in a private room, with each dish arriving so carefully prepared, made it feel like a fitting spot for an important occasion.

Satisfaction ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ / Would return 200%